The Greatest County In The World
by Ella.R25
Summary: "Hello Forrest." She smiled and Forrest swore he was back at that corn field in the summer of '08, the little girl saying his name in her underdeveloped speech. A familiar face returns to Franklin County, inadvertently wreaking more havoc for the Bondurant boys.
1. Chapter 1

**Franklin County, 1908.**

A ten-year old Howard Bondurant dragged his younger sibling down the long dirt track from their home. Forrest scuffed his feet across the rocks and dust, unaffected by the older boys tight grip around his wrist. There was a stark difference between the two, not just in appearance but made more obvious in the way they carried themselves. Howard walked with purpose, legs taking long, impatient strides but even as a child, Forrest was never in a hurry to get anywhere.

Reaching the end of his tether with his brothers casualness, Howard whipped around to face Forrest, finally releasing his arm.

"You want Mama to make us gussy up for church?" Howard asked with a frown, Forrest replied with a shake of his head.

"Quit stallin' then."

It wasn't an irregular occurrence, the two brothers going AWOL on church days. Little did they know their Mother, Malisha, had given up trying to find them on such occasions entirely. She'd learnt that her two eldest sons were too independent, too headstrong to be forced into something they didn't want to do but she also trusted they were sensible enough to keep out of trouble.

When they had become bored with skimming stones across one of the farm ponds, Forrest and Howard made their way deeper through the woods until they reached a nearby corn field. The yellow corn reached way over their heads, swaying in the gentle breeze and catching the sunlight to form a golden hue around the field. They ran through it, skimming their fingers on the stalks as they passed them before they ran in separate directions. Suddenly, Forrest sprung out on Howard and tackled him to the ground.

"I'll twine 'mid the ringlets of my raven black hair..."

The two abruptly stopped their wrestling at the sound of a third voice, Forrest slowly got to his feet and Howard followed. Both curious and captivated by the sweet, childlike singing. They took small, careful steps, pushing strands of corn to the side in an attempt to find the source of the pretty voice.

"...the lilies so pale and the roses so fair. The myrtles so bright with an emerald hue..."

Howard paused when they arrived by a lone willow tree in a small clearing, the leaves of the corn flat on the ground from trampling feet. He nudged Forrest and pointed his finger upwards, miming something unintelligible that only his brother could understand. Forrest followed Howard's gesture to a large thick branch high in the tree and his eyes widened at the small brunette who sat there, blissfully unaware of their presence.

"...I'll sing and I'll dance and my laugh shall be gay, I'll cease this wild weeping, drive sorrow away..."

Forrest gaped like a goldfish at the girl and Howard smirked, watching his little brother's reaction. She sat with her back leaned against the trunk of the tree, legs crossed in front of her, her tiny fingers idly playing with the bow in her dolls hair. Forrest took a step forward causing a twig to snap under his foot and the girls' eyes to finally land upon them. The two boys looked back at her as she eyed them with uncertainty before a smile crept to her lips. They watched as she shuffled and let her legs dangle from the branch before stepping onto a lower one, she left her doll where she had been sat moments earlier and began her descent, hopping expertly from branch to branch before landing on two feet in front of them.

The three just stared at each other silently, the girl clasped her hands behind her back and smiled shyly. The boys studied her carefully, starting at her black baby doll shoes and they trailed their eyes upwards. She wore white knee-high socks and a yellow tea dress, not normal attire for the girls of Franklin County. Her chocolate-brown hair reached to her hips and had been styled in two loose braids, matching yellow bows tied around the ends. Even at the tender age of seven, Forrest thought she was the prettiest thing he'd ever seen.

She stepped forward and stuck an arm out. "Hey, am Ellie-mae." she introduced confidently.

The boys shook her hand in turn. "What's _your_ names?" she asked curiously.

"Howard." The older boy piped up, he nudged Forrest who just scratched at back of his neck awkwardly. "This here's Forrest."

"Hi H'ard...and For'st." She beamed and Forrest finally met her eyes. They sparkled like emeralds when she smiled he noticed, he'd never seen eyes as green on anyone before. Feeling slightly uncomfortable by the silence, Howard suddenly took Forrest by the elbow, ready to steer him away.

"I made a rope swing by the lake." She blurted out. "D'ya wanna see it?" Forrest noticed the hopefulness to her question and he nodded automatically, much to Howard's surprise. Forrest didn't mix especially well with people and hardly ever sought to make new friends, it was just his nature, quiet and reserved, that was Forrest.

Howard watched as Forrest walked off by the girls' side.

"You sing real pretty." He heard Forrest compliment quietly as they walked away and Ellie giggled, shaking out his astonishment, Howard jogged to catch up with them.

**Franklin County, 1931**

Eleanor Thomas' eyes flitted over her passing surroundings best they could whilst driving a vehicle. She was happy to see that little had changed in her absence, there hadn't been an hour gone by in the past seven years when she hadn't longed to return home. But as more time passed it seemed to become more and more difficult. Now, as she drove through the hauntingly familiar town she would have to ignore the wrenching feeling of nervousness, life had brought her back for a reason. A very particular and sombre reason.

She turned off the ignition when she reached her destination, her hands resting on the steering wheel as she regarded the old farm-house through her window. Like the rest of Franklin, it had barely changed, dogs and chickens running around the dusty path just as she'd left them. Her eyes fixed on her old bedroom window and she exhaled deeply before opening the door and stepping out of her beloved rusty-red truck then slamming it closed. She paused when she got to the doorstep, her hand hovering above the door handle while she calmed her nerves.

She finally opened it, peering through the quiet house as she set her suitcase down and let the door creak to a close behind her. Upon hearing a soft melody radiating through the house she followed it, it led her to the kitchen. Her furrowed brow relaxed into a pitying frown when she was met with the sight of her Uncles back, sat at the kitchen table, humming softly to the music and staring at his wedding photo, completely unaware that someone had entered his home. She walked over to him quietly and placed a hand on each of his shoulders, if Ellie hadn't known him so well she'd have thought he hadn't even registered her touch. But he knew who it was, just so numb with grief he couldn't turn to face her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing against his cheek with her own, she felt a tear roll down his face as he continued staring at the black and white picture.

"I'm so sorry, Uncle Archie."

He nodded sadly and placed a hand on her forearm, she gave him a quick peck on his cheek and straightened up, wiping away tears that had some point fallen down her own face. She sniffed and exhaled before taking the picture from his hands and placing it on the kitchen counter, she then began tidying his messy kitchen.

"Where is Jesse?" She looked up from wiping the counter when a couple of minutes went by without an answer. He had turned his body to stare at the picture in its new place, she sighed and bent down on her haunches in front of him, staring straight into his face.

"Come on now. Aunt Lula wouldn't want you moping like this and you know that...especially with this house in such a sorry state." He looked at her for the first time and she smiled warmly when the side of his lip twitched.

"I know you're hurtin', but you gotta keep on with things. Now, let me sort this mess then I'll make you some lunch...looks like you haven't eaten a scrap in days." She said as she moved away and began washing the dirty dishes that had accumulated next to the sink.

Archie rubbed his damp face and shook his head, as if to bring him back to the world. He took his pipe from his shirt pocket along with a small tin, he opened the tin and began to pack his pipe with the tobacco from it. He leaned back into his chair as he struck a match and lit the barrel, he took a few short drags then a deep, prolonged one. He held the pipe in the corner of his mouth, watching her scrub at a bowl. A small, proud smile crept to his lips.

"So strong like her, always were." She paused from her task for a moment and shrugged.

"Yeah." She agreed as she placed the now clean bowl on the counter and went on to the next one. "Well, I had to be didn't I?"

She cleared her throat and his face fell into a frown. "So." She started in an obvious attempt to change the subject. "Jesse around?"

"He'll be with Howard somewhere." He sighed. "drinkin' their weight in moonshine, no doubt."

She stiffened upon hearing the name but attempted to appear unaffected. "Howard Bondurant?"

"Uh huh."

"Those boys still around?" She asked as coolly as she could.

"Yup, they're still 'round." He drawled and she nodded, throwing an unconvincing smile his way.

"You got anyone watchin' the farm?" She asked, again, changing another sore subject.

"Yeah, young Cricket's been helpin' out...you remember him don'tchu?"

"The boy that used to run 'round with Jack? The one with the crazy legs?" Her Uncle chuckled and nodded his head.

She smiled and opened the fridge, rifling through its contents before taking out some cheese, she began making the sandwiches then poured two mugs of coffee when she had finished. Placing a plate and cup on the table in front of him she took a seat opposite with her own. She raised her eyebrows when he just stared at it.

"Eat." She demanded, smiling in victory as he sighed and took a bite, chewing lazily. She watched him gulp his food down and, satisfied, began to pick at her own sandwich. "How's Ace?"

"He's doin' good, ain't been behaving lately though. Swear that damn horse knew you were comin' back." Ellie covered her mouthful of food with her hand, laughing at the thought of Ace baying wildly when her Uncle tried to change his shoes or comb his hair.

"Think I'm gonna go see him later, maybe help Cricket out too."

Archie raised his eyebrows at his niece. "You remember how to be a farm hand now you're some city slicker?"

Ellie gave him a warning look. "I ain't no city slicker. I'll always be a country girl at heart, you know that."

"How is Chicago anyhow? You got a sweetheart? Hell, bet you've got a dozen, lookin' like you do."

She rolled her eyes at his compliment and shrugged. "its alrigh' and no, I don't have a sweetheart. Even after all this time, those city guys just ain't what I'm used to. They love themselves too damn much."

He chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. "Can take the girl out of the country, right?"

"That's right." She smiled and they continued to eat in silence. When Ellie had finished she pushed her plate away and leaned back on her seat. She bit her lower lip as she looked at her Uncle, fidgeting in her seat.

"So...everything set for the funeral?" His chewing slowed while his face hardened and he nodded.

"But I, um, I need you to pick a dress out for her. its gon' be an open casket so..." He faltered and Ellie immediately reached to rest a hand on top of his.

"Course I will." She replied without him needing to finish his request. "It's done okay? Whatever you want just ask, you don't be worryin' about a thing y'hear?"

Archie turned his hand to squeeze hers once and he smiled gratefully. "I missed you, Ellie-mae."

Tears began to well up in Ellie's eyes, happy or sad, she wasn't certain. She opened her mouth to tell him the feeling was mutual when the front door swung open. It hit the wall with a loud bang causing Ellie and Archie to unlink their hands and stare at the kitchen door patiently. Jesse stumbled through it, straightening when he realized they had company and he narrowed his eyes for a second before he was pushed into the kitchen counter by a second stumbling figure. This one wasn't as uncoordinated as her cousin but just as drunk, he howled with laughter upon seeing Jesse attempting to scramble to his feet, he glanced at Ellie and his laughter died down. His glance became a hard stare, then his face become a picture of shock. His eyes widened and his mouth hung open for what seemed like several silent minutes.

"I'll be damned."

Ellie stood from her seat. "Hi Howard." She said simply after waiting for the realization on his part to kick in. The last time she'd seen Howard Bondurant was before the war and he was in a hell of a better state than this. He still looked the same, still sounded the same, but Ellie could tell in his eyes that he wasn't as happy.

His face broke out into an elated cackle and he went to hug her, picking her up and spinning her around while she squealed in protest. He finally set her down but continued to squeeze her, she struggled to breathe but found the energy to slap him up side of the head.

"Ow." He exclaimed, dropping his arms and rubbing the side of his head. "Well you certainly ain't changed."

"Yeah, well neither have you. You always did forget you're the size of a god-damn Sasquatch." She joked and stuck her tongue out when he pretended to be offended.

He chuckled gruffly, grabbing each of her hands with his own and holding them to the sides to admire her.

"You turned into a li'l lady, Ellie-Mae." He said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Who'd'a thought it?" He added, turning his genuine compliment into a joke.

Archie grumbled in amusement having watched their reunion. He twisted on his chair to look at his son, who was swaying unsteadily behind them, watching on with uncertain eyes.

"You just gon' stand there boy?" Jesse's eyes snapped to his Father and then back to the two other faces who were staring back at him expectantly.

"Jesse, hug your sister." Howard demanded softly, shaking his head when Jesse huffed like a sulky teenager and made a move towards her.

Ellie observed him closely in those few strides he took. Time seemed to slow down just so she could take him in. Jesse was actually her cousin but when the Rutherfords had took her in, he'd revelled in the fact he was to treat her like a sister and he did. He never missed an opportunity to introduce her as his 'big sis'. It was a label that had stuck, the whole town thought of them as siblings even though most of them knew their real relationship.

Jesse had always been quiet, sometimes eerily so. He was picked on heavily as they were growing up, not for any particular reason, the other kids just found him odd due to his shyness. Ellie was the opposite, she was fiery and confident, she despised bullies and stood up for him on countless occasions, even before they lived together, Ellie just could not abide anyone been pushed around because they were 'different'.

Her eyes travelled up and down this man's frame who her Uncle had called Jesse, he looked like a stranger now. He was tall like Howard but unhealthily skinny. His clothing hung from him and was covered in all sorts of mysterious stains, his face was pale and gaunt, the blue eyes that Ellie used to find so piercing were now cold, like all the light had gone from them, and each one was framed by a dark circle and the whites of them looked painfully bloodshot. When Ellie looked into them she almost shuddered, they were completely devoid of any emotion, reminiscent of her Fathers.

When he finally reached her he pulled her roughly into an awkward hug, Ellie felt his whole body go rigid at the contact. It wasn't like Howard's embrace, full of love and excitement at seeing her again. Jesse pulled away and looked at her, the side of his lip twitched into a small smile which didn't reach his eyes and Ellie forced one back at him, struggling to hide her concern.

"Hi Jesse."

"Ellie-Mae."


	2. Chapter 2

"GODDAMN LUNATIC!" Jesse yelled at Howard, his voice comically rising several octaves from the shock of his second near brush with death.

Jesse's eyes were wide as he watched Howard and Ellie laugh hysterically from their laying positions on the forest floor. It hadn't taken Ellie long to fall back in with the oldest Bondurant, not even an hour after their reunion Howard had suggested they have a catch up drink. That 'drink' had loosely translated to five jars of moonshine liquor, which had then led to drunken target practice with the empty jars and Howards Colt pistol.

Howard wiped at his eyes as he passed the gun to Ellie, his laughter finally dying down. She pushed herself up to lean her back on a nearby tree and held the pistol tightly with both hands, aiming at the log beside her brother.

"Line 'em up, Jesse." Howard slurred, watching Ellie with amusement as she closed each eye in turn, attempting to focus her blurry vision.

"I ain't doin' that again." Jesse sulked.

"Aw, come on now!" Ellie exclaimed, feigning hurt. "Ya think I'd plug my own brother?" She asked with seriousness, subtly nudging Howard in the ribs to quieten when a small laugh escaped his lips.

Jesse looked between them both suspiciously and exhaled, he gulped the remaining contents of his jar and walked hesitantly to the log, bending down to balance the jar on it. A shot was fired and the jar shattered in his hands, he almost screamed. Howard howled and pounded his fist on the ground as Jesse tried to collect himself, he glared at Ellie.

"You damn nearly took my hand off, you crazy bitch!" He spat and Ellie bit her lower lip to keep from laughing in his face. He gave up and stormed away from them in a huff causing Ellie to cackle loudly, rolling over so her head rested on Howard's chest. Their giggling subsided and Howard took another long swig of his liquor, the liquid swishing about the jar while Ellie stared at the sky, deep in thought.

"I sure missed this." Ellie declared. "No one's any fun back in Chicago."

Howard held the jar of liquid above Ellie's eyes and she took it, lifting her head awkwardly to bring her lips to the rim of the jar.

"Ya goin' back?"

She fell silent and paused with her mouth pressed to the jar, shuffling to sit up and turning to look at Howard, she opened her mouth to speak.

"HOWARD."

Both of their heads whipped around to the heavy footfalls coming their way and the voice hollered Howard's name again. A figure came rushing through the tree's and halted abruptly upon seeing the pair. His eyes glanced nervously from Howard to Ellie and he quickly reached for his hat, clutching it to his chest.

"Sorry, Miss." He stuttered, fidgeting restlessly on the spot. "Howard, Forrest's been expectin' you back. We got that...um, meeting later, remember?" He raised his eyebrows in a secret signal to his brother and Howard laughed in return.

"No need to be tight-lipped, Jack. You don't know who this is?" He asked with a smirk, gesturing to the woman beside him, Jack shook his head. "Take a closer look."

* * *

Forrest had heard from the animated ramblings of his baby brother that she was back. He'd stayed silent throughout the excited conversation Howard and Jack had shared over dinner that night. Maggie had been silently sending him questioning looks as to why he wasn't as enthusiastic as his brothers over this is so called friend's return. He couldn't bring himself to tell her the finer details of their past, because it was exactly that, the past. In fact, until that night, Maggie hadn't even been aware of Ellie-Mae's existence.

He didn't know what to think when Jack had bounded through the door, Howard sloppily following behind. His older brother knew better than to break the news so plainly but his youngest was oblivious to the history he'd shared with Ellie and blurted out she was back in town. A sinking feeling had resonated through his whole body, he felt nervous, angry and delighted all at once but of course on the outside he remained nonchalant, for Maggie's sake.

By the time dinner had come around, he just felt numb. As conversation carried on around him, Forrest was lost in his thoughts, trying to imagine how his inevitable meeting with Ellie would go. He attempted to think what he would say when he saw her again but his mind came up blank every single time.

Now, as he slowly walked up the gravel path that led to her farmhouse with Howard, Jack and Maggie at his side he was at more of a loss than ever. He expected to see her at the funeral but her Aunt was well liked and the amount of mourners was vast, he stood at the back of the church with his Brothers and Maggie, he hadn't even seen a glimpse of Ellie, not through lack of trying. He had seen her Uncle though, who had requested his family bring a crate of liquor to their house to give Lula a proper send off. They were to wait a reasonable amount of time so that the older women and sticks in the mud who would be horrified at the idea of getting inebriated at a wake had left. Forrest had paced the floor of the station for an hour and a half before deciding they should make their way to Archie's home.

And finally the nerves had begun to kick in. What did she look like now? Was she staying? Had she changed? Was she married? Did she have children? All these questions and more began circling his brain at a mile a minute in those last few steps to her home.

The door was wide open, a crowd of people were outside the door chatting and smoking as folk music blared from the house. Archie was by the doorway to greet them and shook each of their hands when they passed him. Jack and Maggie stopped to talk with him but Forrest and Howard continued into the kitchen and deposited the crates on the table. Jesse was first into the kitchen and carried as many jars as he could through to the guests, Howard did the same. Forrest stayed behind and picked up his own jar, he twisted the lid off and took a few large gulps of the potent liquid. He needed some Dutch courage.

He eventually moved to walk through the busy hall, sidestepping the lightweights who were already stumbling from a single sip of moonshine. It was when he crossed the doorway to the living room that he heard it, her laugh. From there everything seemed to move in slow motion. He slowly turned the corner and froze upon seeing her, unfortunately she was even more beautiful than he remembered. She'd obviously changed after the funeral, now wearing a burgundy tea dress that nipped in at her slender waist, her lips were painted to match and the small amount of smoky eye make-up she wore made her green eyes pop. She wore pristinely white stiletto heels and her deep brown hair was splayed over her shoulders in sophisticated waves, it was longer than when he'd last seen her, reaching down to her ribcage and lower back. Her maroon red lips were pulled into a joyful smile as she giggled at something Howard had said. Forrest couldn't believe how in a room full of doom and gloom she seemed to light it up. It was like a gift she had, even as kids, she possessed the ability to make the people around her feel special just by smiling at them. Ironic, considering Forrest now knew how much her smile was hiding.

"Forrest, are you okay?" Maggie's voice ripped Forrest out of his trance and he suddenly wondered just how long he'd been stood like a statue, staring at his old friend. He looked down at Maggie and grunted something even he couldn't understand whilst handing her a jar of moonshine. He took a few large gulps from his own, his eyes fell back upon Ellie as Maggie left him to talk to one of the fellow mourners. Ellie's attention left Howard for a moment and she scanned the room, Forrest's palms began to sweat when her gaze landed on him. She beamed and didn't even make an excuse to Howard before making her way over.

"Hello Forrest." She smiled when she reached him and Forrest swore he was back at that corn field in the summer of '08, the little girl saying his name in her underdeveloped speech.

He cleared his throat and curtly nodded his head at her.

"Ellie-Mae." They stood awkwardly for what felt like an eternity, her eyes wandered to the jar he was holding and she laughed.

"You turnin' this into a party, Forrest?" That was always my job." He fought the urge to smile at her. She sighed at his silence and prized the jar from his hands, holding his gaze as she took a few large gulps, almost emptying it before giving the last few drops back to him. The corner of his lips twitched as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and she quickly pointed at his face.

"I saw that." She teased. "Almost a smile."

"Hi." Ellie's stare switched to the pretty redhead who had appeared by Forrest's side, extending an arm in her direction.

"Hi." Ellie replied unsurely, but shook her hand anyway.

Forrest cleared his throat nervously. "Maggie, this here is Ellie-Mae. Ellie this is Maggie."

The two forced smiles to each other and Maggie shot Forrest a look which Ellie didn't miss. The brunette knew exactly what Maggie was to Forrest, she'd be a fool to assume Forrest would be unattached after all this time. What was strange, was Forrest's desire to keep his relationship with Maggie quiet.

Ellie scratched her head, feeling rather uncomfortable. "Well, I better, um, see how my Uncles doin'" She excused and turned to Maggie. "It was nice to meet you." Forrest's eyes were already on her when she looked back at him. "I'll see you around, Forrest."

She could hear Maggie's hushed, angry questions to Forrest as she walked away. She breezed through the kitchen and stepped outside at the back of the house, the 'wake' couldn't even be recognized as one by now, it was quickly turning out to be a debauched party. Stood on her back doorstep, she grimaced as a stranger vomited meters from her feet. Stepping over his body and ignoring numerous others, she made her way to the stables. Her beloved horse, Ace, was galloping around the paddock and a wide smile graced Ellie's features as soon as she saw him.

Before becoming close to the Bondurant brothers, Ace had been her only friend after her Mother, Clara became sick. The impressive stallion had been gift from Clara to Ellie and even as a toddler she had cherished him. Tears sprang to her eyes as she looked at him now, he was only a foal when he was given to her, a baby while she was one herself. She remembered how he'd looked back then, jet black fur and mane with white feet and a white stripe down his nose, her Mother had named him Ace based soully on his coloring while Ellie had decided on a generic name only an infant would think of. It was only after her Mother's death, she had taken to calling him his original name. He looked older now, almost thirty years old like herself, his mane didn't have the same silky black sheen anymore and parts of him had grayed with age.

She took a few tentative steps towards him and reached out to stroke his face. The narrow minded people of the world dismissed horses as dumb animals but Ellie knew Ace recognized her. He didn't shy away, just snorted gently into her palm and Ellie smiled.

"Thought you'd be 'ere." A gruff voice declared and Ellie turned to see Jesse, standing by the stile. She shrugged and turned back to her horse. "I saw what happened with Forrest."

Ellie spun around, he sounded like he almost found it amusing and she furrowed her brow. "And?"

"And what did you think? That you an' Forrest would be Franklin's Bonnie an' Clyde again?" He taunted. "After all these years?"

She gave Ace one last pet and turned back to her 'Brother' who was smiling creepily at her. She slowly stepped forward and when she reached him she just stared hard at his face, narrowing her eyes. "What the hell happened to you?"

He laughed but Ellie remained the same, looking into his eyes with concern. "I'm serious, Jesse. You ain't the same."

"Well, who the hell is?" He spat. "You certainly ain't, Howard ain't and neither is Forrest." He said the middle brothers name mockingly and Ellie scowled at him. "You might've had a fancy life in chicago but the rest of us've been here in Franklin, and life here don't change you for the better, Ellie-mae, you of all people should know that."

With that, he spat on the ground, glaring at Ellie as he wiped his chin before turning and leaving her rooted to the spot.


	3. Chapter 3

_Malisha Bondurant sat in church with a proud smile on her face. Her husband Granville was by her side, nursing a newly born Jack as he slept and her two boys had, yet again, agreed to join them. She looked over to Howard and Forrest and pursed her lips at the sight of them, trying to hold back a laugh. Howard was not listening to the sermon, or making any effort to make it appear he was paying attention, the dried dirt on the toe of his boot was apparently a lot more interesting._

_Then, there was Forrest. Malisha had no misgivings about why her boys were suddenly so curious about religion, it wasn't God they were there for, little Eleanor Thomas was the reason. He was fidgeting something awful, his eyes set on Ellie's usual space right at the front, where she always sat on her own. Right before Forrest would wordlessly leave his family and join her, Howard following seconds later. But Ellie wasn't there today, an extinct occurrence that obviously worried her son. In fact, it worried her too. Clara and Ellie Thomas always attended church and the little girl especially seem to take extra comfort in her faith, even more so when Clara had become sick. From then on, Ellie would just attend alone._

_She reached out to place a hand on Forrest's leg, which was bobbing up and down in anticipation, he looked up at her and she leaned down to whisper in his ear._

_"You go on an' find your friend." She said and he did instantly, quickly but quietly slipping from his seat and out of the church, leaving a disgruntled Howard who folded his arms in a huff._

_Forrest didn't bother checking Ellie-Mae's house, she was hardly ever home. Instead, he headed straight for the rope swing she'd shown him the day they first met, then the huge log by the lake where they often sat and talked, then finally, the old willow in the corn field. His running slowed when she came into view and he paused, frowning as he studied the back of her head. She wasn't sat high in the tree like normal, she wasn't singing a song to herself, her hair wasn't tied up in cute braids like usual and she wasn't impeccably dressed. Alternatively, she was on her knees by the tree stump, her white dress was covered in mud, her hair was loose and looked like it hadn't been brushed in days and she was whispering with her head bowed._

_"Ellie?" The whispering stopped and she lifted her head, but she didn't turn to look at him. "What'chu doin'?"_

_"Prayin'" She squeaked._

_"Why ain't you prayin' at church?" Forrest asked carefully, taking slow steps to his friend. She still hadn't looked at him and it unnerved him. Something was wrong, he could feel it._

_"I ain't friends with God t'day, For'st." She finally spun on her knees and he gulped, taking in her tear stained face and puffy eyes. He was so used to seeing her angelic face with a smile on it, he wasn't prepared to see it so sad. "He took my Momma."_

_Her lip quivered when she spoke the words in a whisper and her face scrunched up, and before he knew it she had leapt to her feet and thrown her tiny arms around his waist, sobbing loudly into his shoulder. He froze on the spot. Comforting friends, especially girls was completely alien to Forrest, he was not a boy that was fond of touching or hugging, it always made him feel awkward. But, for his friend who was clearly heartbroken, his arms hesitantly moved to return her hug, one hand stiffly patting her shoulder. But the small action, however unnatural it felt to him, was appreciated by Ellie and after been stood that way for a while, her cries finally died down. She pulled back from him and Forrest surprised himself when he wiped at her damp face with the sleeve of his jacket._

_"God didn't take your Momma, Ellie-Mae, she just got sick." He said with a sympathetic smile, he watched as she paused, her mind turning over his words before she nodded sadly._

_They'd stayed out late by the willow tree that night, not playing like they did ordinarily but just talking. Forrest listened intently as Ellie talked fondly of her Mother but she didn't cry again, instead, her chubby cheeks were set in a permanent sad smile that made him feel even worse. He'd left her well after sun-down and had been reluctant to do so even then, but Ellie promised she would head home soon after him. He doubted she did._

_After the funeral, Forrest assumed Ellie would steadily get back to normal but she only got worse. She acted like she was fine. She dressed in the same pretty frocks and dolly shoes her Mother used to choose for her, she even struggled to braid her hair each morning and whenever Forrest and Howard would see her she'd be wearing a smile. Howard didn't notice a difference but the middle brother knew better, he'd been on the receiving end of enough of the little girl's smiles to know that the current ones were fake. He never voiced his concerns though, he just made sure that he was with her as often as his Mother allowed him to be._

_It wasn't until one mid-summers night that Forrest began questioning the root cause of his friends unhappiness. They had been in her empty house, all three of them, bored to their wits end and seeking shelter from the sweltering heat when Ellie-Mae suggested they bake a cake. It was an ambitious suggestion from a girl who could only just reach the kitchen counter but the two boys had agreed. Howard, been the only one tall enough to do most of the work, had taken control of the activity, ordering the two others to do the more menial task and Forrest and Ellie had become bored quickly._

_So Ellie had started a chain of events by cracking an egg on Howards shoulder, her high pitched giggle echoing through the whole house as yellow goo dripped down his arm. Forrest recognised Ellie's mischievous laughter as the most genuine he'd heard in months and certainly didn't want it to stop. He reached for another egg and with lightning speed planted it on the top of Howards head, watching from behind his brother with a smile as Ellie broke out into new fits of giggles. Howard had been understandably annoyed at first but as he stood frozen while the disgusting splodge dripped onto his face his shoulders began to shake, the girl's infectious laughter rubbing off on him. Their baking had soon escalated into a full on food fight, all three of them covered in flour and cake mixture, red faced from laughing and running from room to room._

_Their excitement had eventually died down, the trio attempting to catch their breath from all the exertion when Ellie had stiffened, the smile falling from her face and she ran to her living room, jumping onto the couch to peer out of the window._

_"What's wrong, Ellie?" Howard asked, looking to Forrest questioningly._

_"My pa's back." She leaped from the couch and stormed over to them, grabbing Forrest by the arm and tugging. "C'mon, we gotta go."_

_Forrest relented and allowed Ellie to lead him through the messy kitchen and to the back door, she pushed it open but faltered, looking back at Howard with confusion. _

_"H'ard, c'mon!"_

_"We can't just leave your house like this for 'im to find, we gotta clean up." He said with a bemused chuckle._

_"Please, H'ard...For'st tell 'im to come."_

_Ellie's eye's were begging Forrest and he signalled his brother with a sharp inclination of his head, Howard rolled his eyes and reluctantly followed. Trailing behind as Ellie sprinted fast as she could through the overgrown corn field, falling to her knee's when she reached the willow tree and clasping her hands in front of her. Squeezing her eyes shut tight, she began whisper an urgent prayer._

_For the first time, Howard was worried and looked at his younger brother who was listening to her prayer and looking on with something akin to terror. For whatever reason, Ellie was scared, for her safety and for theirs. And as an angry male voice hollered her name out into the field, it dawned on the two boys that it wasn't the death of Clara that had made Ellie so unhappy, it was having to live with her Father._


End file.
